Castaways
by Quandtuniverse
Summary: Roy and Edward are assigned a mission together, only to find themselves stranded in the open sea. How will they survive? Can they get along? No yaoi! R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Muhuhuhuhuhu! Another FMA fanfic! No, I have not abandoned my precious Zelda stories. I'm writing! Writing like the wind! Believe me! -huggles Link-

This story is based off of "The Cay" so if you've read that book... Yeah. You should notice some major plot points in common.

Also, this story is more of a "test drive" of a new style I'm trying out. So please comment and help me, kay? I apologize in advance if any characters are out of context.

DISCLAMAMERMATHINGER: Ownership of Fullmetal Alchemist be not of myself. Yo.

* * *

It felt very weird. If asked to describe it, Roy would say it felt like a coconut. An odd way to describe a headache, but that's what he thought when he woke up to find his head hurting very badly... like a coconut.

He could feel he was on something uncomfortable, that swayed gently. Water sprinkled onto his face. He groaned and turned over, placing a hand on his forehead. He couldn't open his eyes; it hurt too much.

"Hey!" came a familiar voice a little over to his right. "You awake?"

"Uhnnnnn."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"...What... happened...?" Roy asked, trying to get up, but suddenly feeling very dizzy, he lay down again.

"You don't remember?"

"Remind me."

"Well... There was that rebellion on the ship... Somehow, the ship exploded. Yeah, both of us nearly drowned."

"Is that so?" He remembered now.

"Right. It's awful hard to swim when you've got automail." Roy heard metal clink. "I don't know what happened to you. You where unconscious when I found you."

"Something fell on my head." Right. The headache.

"You seem ok, but you've been sleeping for quite a while. About five hours, I'd say..." Roy heard something clink. "Nah, a bit less. Four hours."

"Umph." Roy heard the sound of water splashing.

"Care for some fish?"

"...Fish?" Sure, they were in the middle of the ocean, but they didn't have anything to fish with.

"I made a little hook."

"What about the bait?"

"No bait. Fish are just stupid like that, if you know how to do it right." A light chuckle, and another splash. "There we go. Look, can you make some fire? I don't like raw fish."

Roy sat up slowly this time, and he didn't get dizzy. Although his head felt tender and painful, he opened his eyes.

Ed sat there on the edge of the raft, holding two fish about the size of his palms. He had a hook in his mouth, and he was smirking. He was wearing only his pants, and Roy realized he wasn't wearing his jacket or shirt himself. He looked around and saw that their clothes were piled in a corner, along with their boots. Roy noticed his gloves were there as well and reached for them, trying to ignore the soreness of his body. Ed watched him quietly.

"...How are we going to do this?" Ed frowned a bit, then set the fish aside and clapped his hands, transmuting his arm into a spear. He impaled the fish and held out his arm, nodding. Roy understood. He snapped his fingers, keeping a steady flame under the fish. Soon they were roasted and ready to eat.

_3 AM that morning_

"Colonel! Colonel!" The cry was loud and desperate. Roy jolted up immediately. Still in a daze from waking up so suddenly, he staggered to the door and opened it.

"Colonel Mustang." Two guards were waiting at the door, sweating and panting. "Some of the men, they're alchemists."

"What?"

"They're freeing all the others. We can't contain them," one of the guards said. There was shouting from down the front of the ship.

"What about Colonel Silver?"

"We don't know what happened to him, but he's gone." A loud clang came from down the ship. "The Fullmetal Alchemist is up there trying to subdue some of them, but we don't know how much longer he will last. It's not like he has much material to work with without damaging the ship."

"We're lucky I fell asleep with my clothes on. Come on," Roy said, and marched down towards the commotion.

It was too fast to avoid.

Roy almost always tried to keep from injuring a person if it was unnecessary, but the man was not holding back. He had a fierce speed that was almost blinding, and he fought with whatever he could find- a broken old pipe, a piece of wood, even trying to strangle the Colonel with some rope. But Roy had enough experience to fight back, and he decided this man could not be stopped by normal means. And so he shot his flames trying to get him by surprise and turn the tables.

What he didn't know was that this man had another card up his sleeve.

Out of all places, they were right next to the engine room. And out of all people, this man was an alchemist.

A flame alchemist.

"Edward!" At the call of his name, the boy turned around, smashing two thugs into each other in the process. He was on deck, and the bodies of defeated prisoners surrounded him. More men were fighting with the guards, but it was a clumsy fight. The sky decided to make things even more complicated by stirring up a storm, and enormous waves crashed against the sides of the ship. It was raining heavily, and every once in a while a clap of thunder was heard. Edward didn't know what to expect as Roy ran up to him, but he barely had the time to think. Roy smashed into Ed sending both overboard.

Moments later, the ship exploded.

Swearing and gasping for breath, Edward found himself pulled underwater. It was bad enough that there was a storm, but Edward was a bad swimmer, _and_ his automail was too heavy for him to float. Like a helpless puppy, he yelped as yet another wave pushed him down. Waving his arms around, something brushed against his hand and he grabbed on firmly. Pulling himself up, he realized it was a wooden door. He climbed on and held tightly as the waves pushed him around. The door bonked into something else- an upside down table. Without thinking twice, Ed clapped his hands and merged the two together.

Ed looked around, and all he saw was the black water, the rain and countless people drifting away in the ocean. Lightning flashed, and for a second Ed saw someone floating in the water next to his raft. Ed reached into the water and pulled out the person, realizing it was Roy. He was heavy and unconscious, and Ed couldn't pull him up. A wave coming from the opposite side lifted Roy for a second and he slid onto the raft.

"Thank you!" Ed yelled at the sea. He held the Colonel tightly, knowing that the only thing he could do now was wait.

* * *

BOO!

Yes, weird. Chapter 2 is done. Chapter 3 should be finished soon. Muahahahahahaha.

-Julia-


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter sucks, in my opinion, but it was necessary. Basically this is just some more insight into how Roy and Ed are doing. Chapter 3 is a bit better, and chapter 4 really kicks off. Keep your eyes open. I've just started writing chapter 4, btw.

Disclaimer: Characters, except for OCs, are not mine. The premise of FMA is not mine. This plot is mine. If you steal it I'll be upset. Possibly angry. Perhaps murderous. That is all.

* * *

The rest of the day crawled slowly, the hot sun beating down on the two lone alchemists. They had managed to make an odd-looking shelter with their clothes and the legs of the upturned table, and neither of them had said a word in hours. The sky was starting to turn pink and gold with the setting sun, and the light glimmered on the water. Finally, Edward spoke.

"Colonel..." His voice was barely a whisper. "How long... How long do you think it'll take... Until they find us...?"

Roy looked at Ed, hidden in the shelter with his face behind his knees. "Until Central finds out what happened, sends a search team, and finds us..." He trailed off, looking at the sea. "I honestly don't know."

Ed looked up suddenly. He crawled to the edge of the raft, taking water in his palm and letting it drain through his fingers.

"Don't drink it."

Ed looked up at Roy, his face contorted in an odd expression. "What?"

"We're both thirsty, but drinking salt water will only make you thirstier. That, and the overload of salt will cause your kidneys to fail, and if your kidneys fail, you die."

Edward shook his head and sat back into the shade. Roy resumed looking off into the distance, and lost himself in his thoughts until Ed suddenly brought him back with a sharp "Hey!"

"What?" Roy asked, turning around.

"Hangman." Ed smiled a semi-honest smile and took out a piece of chalk. "Apparently some survived in my pocket."

"I thought you didn't need chalk," Roy said, amused.

"Not for transmutation circles," said Ed, drawing on the raft. "But chalk is always handy."

"I'll take your word for it."

5 PM the day before

Both Ed and Roy were leaning on the rail on the side of the ship. Roy's mind was off somewhere and Ed kept mumbling under his breath. Things like "stupid boat" and "gotta go back" and other general rambling. Roy looked down at him, somewhat annoyed.

"I thought I told you why you're here."

"Yeah, yeah, military duty, who cares? This boat is BORING."

"Well, go down to the kitchen bother the cooks, they're always lonely. I bet they'd appreciate some company."

Ed glared at Roy for a second, then slumped over the rail. Roy smiled, amused.

"It's going to rain," Ed said suddenly. Roy looked at the sky. He couldn't see any clouds.

"The sky is clear."

"My joints always tell me when it'll rain." He stretched out his arms, staring at them, and then left quietly, leaving a perplexed Roy behind.

8 PM that day

Roy was sitting on the bed that was in the cabin assigned to him. There was a table in one of the corners, with two chairs around it. A lamp illuminated the cabin with an eerie yellow glow, casting shadows on the walls. A large bookcase sat in one of the corners, and as Roy looked over the titles of the books, he found that most of them were about ocean currents, the wind, and general navigation. There were a few history books as well, and some dusty mystery novels lying on the bottom shelf. Roy picked out a book about the ocean, and as he read it he found he couldn't understand most of what it said. There was a nice map with arrows indicating the direction of the currents.

There was a knock on the door, and Roy looked up.

"Come in."

The door creaked open.

"Fullmetal," said Roy, surprised.

Ed was standing by the door, and he suddenly looked very embarrassed.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have come here," he said hastily, and turned to leave.

"No," Roy found himself interrupting without thinking. "It's allright." Ed looked over his shoulder, his expression surprised and yet somehow unclear. He stepped in, avoiding eye contact, and sat at one of the chairs.

There was an awkward silence.

"The cooks said dinner is ready," Ed mumbled, looking down at his feet.

"So you took my advice after all."

"They're so annoying. All they ever talk about is all the trips they've had to do, and they keep asking me if I have a girlfriend." Ed saw the book Roy was reading. "What's that?"

"This?" He flipped it over. The cover said 'Scientific Analysis of the Sea'. "Some book I found on that shelf. Can't understand a word it says."

"Why do you bother reading, then?"

"I'm just... curious."

"Like every good alchemist should be." Ed got up, a trace of a smile creeping across his face. "Dinner's ready, and I'm starving."

* * *

See? Wasn't it awfully boring? What? You don't think so? Then tell me with a review by pressing that cute lil' button in the corner.

The part with the cooks asking Ed about his girlfriend is based off of my mother and her friends constantly pestering me about having a boyfriend. Come on, stop insisting that a boyfriend is something every 15-year-old should have...

-Julia


	3. Chapter 3

I just love the way this chapter turned out. I was going for a Luis Fernando Verissimo look, and I do believe I've achieved it.

The little exchange between Roy and Riza gave birth to an insane little crackfic called "The Crossplay of DOOM" co-written with my good friend Becca. I'll upload it... Eventually. Because she wants it online anyway.

This chapter was originally much longer, but I cut down on stuff I kinda felt was unecessary. Soooo ya.

**Disclaimer:** Pss... Don't tell anyone... But I actually own FMA. -shot down by lawyers-

* * *

Night fell upon the little raft, and neither Ed nor Roy wanted to talk much. They were not able to get any more fish, and were both hungry. Ed lied on his back looking up at the stars. It was very dark out at sea, and the only source of light was the big, round moon casting a silvery glow over the two.

"I don't understand how sailors used the stars to guide themselves..." said Ed, pointing at the stars and tracing along them.

"According to their position in the sky in certain times of the night..." Roy started, but hist voice drifted off.

"It sounds impossible," Ed growled, as if he hadn't heard anything. "WHERE THE HELL ARE WE, ANYWAY?" He shouted, and banged his hand on the raft.

Silence.

"...Colonel?"

Silence.

"Hey, Colonel? You allright?"

Silence.

Ed rolled over to face Roy, who was sitting inside the makeshift tent, arms wrapped firmly around his legs. His eyes seemed glazed over.

"Mmph." He frowned.

"Ah," said Ed.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention." He was looking straight at Ed now.

"Forget it." Ed rolled back, looking at the stars.

"According to the positions... Positions..." His head drooped. "Ocean currents..."

Silence.

"What about them...?"

"The book... I read..." His arms tightened around his legs. "We should be on one of the big currents, here..."

"Ah," said Ed.

"Mm," said Roy.

Silence.

"Can you try fishing again?"

Early Morning Central, 3 days before

As dawn arrived, Central City was bathed in early morning sunlight that made everything yellowish in color. It was chilly and the air was opaque with mist. Days were rarely this peaceful and beautiful, but by the time the city woke up, it would all be gone. Few people were up at this hour in the morning to appreciate it.

Colonel Roy Mustang climbed the steps that led to Central Headquarters slowly, breathing the cool air calmly. He had woken early and wasn't able to go back to sleep, so he left to work a full hour earlier than usual and strolled leisurely instead of driving, taking in the beautiful morning. He checked his pocket watch, noting that it was still 25 minutes before his shift actually began. He went in anyway, imagining he'd have a cup of coffee before work.

He was surprised to see Lt. Hawkeye in his office by his desk with a file in her hands.

"...Good morning...?"

"Good morning...! I didn't see you there, sir. You're early."

"What is that?"

"It came in this morning. Apparently it's from Col. Silver in the West HQ."

"Hmm. I'll check it out. Thank you."

Hawkeye excused herself and left, leaving Roy alone staring at the file. He flipped through it, reading only a few words on each page.

'Edward Elric'.

He reached for the phone.

Some time later, Central City train station

"Finally!" Edward was ecstatic. He dropped his suitcase and threw his hands in the air. His flesh arm and his back cracked as they stretched.

"I didn't think you'd be so happy to see the Colonel," his brother commented.

"It's just that if I spent one more day in that backwater town I'd go insane. Aw, now you're making me depressed with the prospect of having to see _him_." He slumped down, touching his feet.

"Don't worry, I'm sure whatever Col. Mustang wants, it's important. He wouldn't pull you out of nowhere just to make fun of you."

"Yeah, but I bet he'll take any opportunity to screw around with me." He made a face and kicked his suitcase, flopping it over with a loud _thunk._

"Fullmetal!"

Both brothers looked up at the familiar voice. Roy and another middle-aged man in a military uniform were smiling at them from a few feet away. The other man stepped forward and grabbed Edward's hand, shaking it warmly.

"Good afternoon," he said. His voice didn't match his appearance at all. His hair was gray, but not balding. His face was rough, and he had a scar across his chin, on the left. Despite his gruff, tough looks, his voice was soft and charismatic. "Edward Elric, eh? Col. Mustang's told me about ya. 'Course, I've read your files an' all... You pretty famous, ya know? Oh yes. I'm Col. Marcus Silver. Nice to meetcha."

"Ah," said Edward. Col. Silver was still shaking his hand.

"Well," he said, finally letting go of Ed's hand. His voice turned sharp. "Down to business."

"The reason why you called me here?"

"Exactly." His eyes narrowed down, and he was staring down Ed, making him feel very uneasy. "You're going on a mission."

* * *

W00t! The actual story picks up around chapters 4-5, but I'm very happy with this chap. I just gotta know if you're happy. Like it? Love it? Hate it? Bled your eyes out? Well click on that button over there and review.

I'll be waiting.

With doughnuts.

And cookies.

-Julia


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter was much awesome fun to write. It was also very fast. I also cut it short cuz I think the rest of the story would work better with chapter 5.

Or maybe I'm just lazy. -shrugs-

**Disclaimer:** FMA and all related stuffs is not mine. The Cay is not mine. This fanfic is mine. If you steal it I'll send Dr. House after you- and believe me, he will kick your sorry underside.

* * *

Edward wouldn't admit it, but he was worried. Certainly, he didn't spend much time around Roy to know what he was like on a 24-hour basis, but he knew something was wrong. Roy barely spoke, and when he did he was vague and repetitive. Nothing like the Colonel he knew. And it only seemed to get worse as time went on.

It was their fourth day on the raft, sixth day out at sea. Roy felt his headache disappear, somewhat, but he still felt dizzy and tired. He assumed it was because he wasn't eating properly. His diet had been solely fish since the shipwreck, and barely any fish at that. Obviously, both alchemists were miserable.

Roy lay undisturbed in the shade, half asleep, half listening to Ed's legs splashing the water, half aware of the Sun beating down on them, half caring about his stomach rumbling.

He'd seen war. He'd seen worse than this. He could endure it.

Roy's quiet half-conscious nap was interrupted suddenly.

"HAHAH!"

Roy opened his eyes a slit, looking in Ed's direction but not really seeing anything.

"Colonel! Look at that!" Ed's voice was overflowing with relief. Roy slowly got up, opening his eyes fully to see what all the fuss was about. And then he saw it; poking up in the horizon was an unmistakable mound of green.

Roy's mouth curled into his first smile in two days. He knew they'd run into an island sooner or later, from the books he had read on the ship. He was just glad it was sooner and not later.

"Land, sweet land!" exclaimed Ed, now trying to doggy paddle the raft. Roy laughed.

"Don't tire yourself out, Fullmetal," he said. "It's a long way there. The paddling can wait."

Perhaps out of spite, Ed started to paddle even faster, only to fall on his back after a few seconds, visibly exhausted. Roy shook his head.

"I told you so," he sighed. "You're starving, I know that much. Let's wait a bit. I imagine we'll be close enough by tomorrow."

Ed wouldn't admit it. He'd been worried. But he was glad that Roy was at least speaking in full sentences now.

-+-+-+-+-+-

"You want me to WHAT?!"

"Mind your tea, Fullmetal. You'll spill."

"Colonel, with all due respect, I am NOT getting on a boat with... With this..."

"And you refuse the orders of a commanding officer?"

"N-no, but..."

"Then you'll do this. You have no choice, boy!"

"Mmrrphghm..."

"Aw, don'tcha make such a sour face. Say waitress, sugar, please?"

"Yes, sir."

"Don't mock me..."

"I ain't mockin' ya, kid. This tea really does need sugar."

"I thought we'd be meeting at Headquarters, not in a tea shop..."

"'Tis cozier here."

"Pfh..."

"I'll pay. Don't wait up- gather your stuff. We're leaving in a couple hours."

"...As you say..."

"See?! I told you!"

"Big brother, he didn't even say anything."

"But did you see that smirk?"

"Brother..."

"He was enjoying that! And that Colonel Silver... Sheesh!"

"Well, he was kinda weird..."

"Kinda? He's a freak, if you ask me. I can't believe I'll be on a boat with _them_ for a week... Why did they pick me, anyway?"

"I don't know, big brother, but-"

"Oh! Fullmetal!"

"What?!"

"It's a _ship_, not a boat."

* * *

I bet you can guess what my newest fandom is from the disclaimer... -sweatdrop-

If you likee, let me know... There's a little thing called reviews... I eat them for breakfast... Please don't make me go hungry...


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